Tim Dexter
Campaigns Manager, Air Quality, Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation
Urgent action is needed to protect millions of children who face a lifetime of poor health because air pollution levels in many parts of the UK are dangerously high.
Published just ahead of COP26, our latest report found more than a quarter of a million babies each year are being born in parts of the UK where levels of air pollution fail to meet the World Health Organization’s previous air quality guidelines for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set in 2005.
It also revealed over a third (35%) of maternity units and over a quarter (27%) of schools across Britain are in areas that have unsafe levels of air pollution.
Much of this harmful pollution stems from vehicle emissions which are also fuelling the UK’s contribution to the climate crisis.
Health inequalities that can last a lifetime
Children growing up in deprived and ethnic minority communities are more likely to experience the devastating and potentially life-long health effects of air pollution compared to children born in areas with cleaner air – this is cruelly unequal.
Our report found 85% of people living in areas with illegal levels of air pollution make up the poorest 20% of the UK population. Children and babies, including those in the womb, are more vulnerable to polluted air than many adults because their airways are smaller and still developing.
Prolonged exposure can also stunt the growth of children’s lungs; in turn, this can reduce their resilience to respiratory illnesses throughout life.
It is a national scandal that 36,000 premature deaths a year are attributed to long-term exposure to air pollution in the UK.
A national scandal
It is a national scandal that 36,000 premature deaths a year are attributed to long-term exposure to air pollution in the UK. It can worsen or “trigger” existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma and COPD, resulting in potentially life-threatening asthma and exacerbations. It can also lead to the development of new lung conditions. Over a million children are receiving treatment for asthma in the UK.
Levelling-up commitments
Access to clean air should not be dependent on where people are born or live, which is why we are calling on the Government to embrace the COP26 legacy by ensuring tackling air pollution is an integral part of the levelling-up agenda.
We are pressing the Government to set ambitious legally binding clean air targets in line with the WHO’s 2005 recommended guidelines, with commitments to meet these targets by 2030, at the latest.
By sharing the stories of the people whose lives are most impacted by toxic air, we hope to harness political ambition to clear the UK’s air for future generations, creating a fairer and healthier society.
For more information please visit: ClearTheAir.org.uk
